I'm Sorry
by HopeGrace1290
Summary: Syaoran apologises. One-shot.


_Beautiful…_

Sakura petals showered down incessantly, wrapping the ground underneath in sheer pink. Layers and layers of breathtaking pink petals fluttered gently, glowing in patches on the ground where golden sunlight penetrated through the mosaics of pink canopy.

_Pink is her favourite colour…_

A young boy promenaded into the jungle of sakura trees, allowing himself to vanish among the drifting petals, fogged from other's view. Each step he took yielded crackles of leaves, leaving behind footprint impressions where he last set foot. He held out a palm as a few petals landed in it, a pair of gold-flecked caramel orbs staring pensively at them, his mind far far away…

_Sakura…_

He shut his eyes, inhaling the saccharine fragrance of the sakura blossoms deeply into his lungs, before exhaling wistfully again. This was his favourite place in the whole of Hong Kong, because it was only here he could find such mass numbers of sakura trees. Trees that shared the same name as the much treasured person in his heart.

How long had it been when he last saw her? Days, weeks, months or perhaps years? He did not know. Days without her were not days at all. The only thing he knew was, it had been a long long time, much too long for his liking. But then, he was not fond of even one minute without her.

A hand laid down on the bark of a sakura tree, caressing it tenderly, feeling the lines and wrinkles on the wood surface. Suddenly, he leaped onto a curve of the bark, bounding upwards to another low branch before swinging himself high up in the tree. It might seem like an incredible feat to others, but to him it was as simple as drinking water. Martial arts came naturally to him, after years of training from even before his first memories were formed.

He perched down on a sturdy branch, the burgeoning sakura flowers brushing against his skin. Amber eyes gazed downwards into the sea of pink, yet reflected nothing.

_The large tsunami wave loomed up arrestingly, towering over countless civilians who were still frolicking in the water blithely a few moments ago. It approached the shore at an intimidating velocity while people scrambled out of its way in fear. Mayhem resulted from the hoards of people scampering around chaotically, so rather than escaping from the clutches of the magnificent – and horrific – wave, they got themselves all tangled up instead._

_While mounds of people tottered away, a young girl scrambled into the midst of hysterical people, a pink staff with a golden star and wings at its tip in her hands._

"_Sakura, come back!" he cried out. The girl halted in her tracks._

"_Syaoran-kun, I have to help! I can't let all those people die!" the girl shouted, her turquoise eyes blazing with determination. Syaoran's eyes went from the giant wave gaping its watery mouth to engulf the drowning people below to the tenacious girl standing resolutely before him, her silky auburn hair swaying softly in the wind._

"_I know you're powerful, Sakura, but there's nothing we can do about this!" he pleaded, his arms outstretched inviting her back._

_But the fortitude in those lovely aquamarine eyes did not waver._

"_I have to try."_

The leaves above Li Syaoran rustled, and out of the blue – or rather, pink – a red robin came into view. It zoomed around Syaoran for a few rounds before settling on his lap. Surprisingly, it had teal eyes very much like someone else's enormous ones. Syaoran held out a hand to stroke its tiny head.

"How can eyes that were usually so gentle and sweet be so resilient and tough at times of emergencies?" he murmured. The bird twittered in reply. Shaking his head, Syaoran sighed.

"Why did she _have _to be so kind?"

The robin flapped its wings and soared off again, blending into the mist of pink, leaving Syaoran staring at the place where it disappeared.

"But… That's what I love most about her, isn't it?"

_Syaoran watched as Sakura drained every bit of magical powers she had to level down the tsunami. The immense wave seemed to tremble and lower somewhat, but it still posed an inordinate threat to the people underneath it, and those near the coastline._

_Sakura extracted another pink card and flung it into the air, aiming her wand at it and commanding, "Windy!"_

_Windy and Watery worked together to placate down the wave, and Syaoran himself summoned the wind element to assist her. Now the wave was no more than an aberrantly large wave._

"_We did it!" Syaoran exclaimed to Sakura. But the girl beside him was too exhausted to reply. She slumped down onto the sand, her eyes barely able to open._

"_Sakura!" Syaoran jostled to her side, supporting her before she could sink into the sand. "You used up so much energy to save them. Please don't do that again, Sakura. I… I really can't stand seeing you like this."_

_Sakura smiled feebly at him, her half-open eyes piercing into his. "I'm okay, really. Don't worry."_

_Syaoran swept her sodden bangs away from her face adoringly, hugging her to his chest. He loved her, he really did. And he was willing to sacrifice others just to rescue her._

"_There's still someone else out there!" someone bellowed. Immediately Syaoran and Sakura riveted their attention towards the ocean. Sure enough, a group of people could be seen flailing under the considerably shrunken wave, threatening to consume them into its liquid belly any moment. Sakura's trembling hand reached into her pocket and took out another pink card._

"_No, I won't allow you to use any more magic! You're not going to do this!"_

"_P-Please, Syaoran-kun. They will die!"_

"_I beg you, Sakura. Don't do this."_

_Sakura ignored him. She pointed her wand at the card and mumbled, "Shield."_

_A force field appeared around the group just before the wave washed down on them, ensuring their safety. But Syaoran was too occupied to notice._

_His livid eyes were set on the hardly conscious girl in his arms._

"_If you're not going to care for yourself, why should I care about you?" he yelled._

_Sakura shut her eyes, a trail of tear flowing from under her thick eyelashes before she fainted completely._

"I should never have said that," Syaoran said to himself. "Why on earth was I so stupid?"

He glided down from the branch he was sitting on and alit down onto the ground smoothly. The wind drafted across his face, playing with his tousled bronze hair. Thick eyebrows knitted together and eyes downcast, he had on an expression that displayed immeasurable anguish at pushing the girl he loved away with his own two hands.

"She must hate me now…"

"I don't hate you."

Syaoran turned in shock, his coffee-brown eyes widening in disbelief. But there was no mistaking the voice, the voice he knew so well, the voice he heard even in his dreams.

And a girl stood before him, her light brown hair grazing against her flushed cheeks as her eyes twinkled with anticipation. His mouth dropped in amazement – and joy.

"Sakura."

Both sprinted towards each other with absolute abandonment until they finally found each other's warm embrace. Sakura sobbed into Syaoran's chest, holding him for dear life. Pink petals swirled around them.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear.

Sakura shook her head but appeared too incoherent to say anything. He lifted her chin, gazing profoundly into those mesmerising emeralds before placing a light kiss on her forehead.

"You know what a kiss on the forehead means?" Syaoran breathed, his hot breath prickling Sakura's skin. A few sakura petals rested on her velvety hair as she shook her head.

Syaoran brushed away the petals affectionately, running his fingers through her lustrous hair while another hand cupped her supple cheeks.

"It means 'I'm sorry'."

Sakura beamed in her tears. She pulled Syaoran's collar down and captured his lips in hers, prompting a bright crimson hue onto Syaoran's cheeks.

"And you know what this means?" she inquired, the bright glint back in her innocent eyes.

Syaoran just grinned.

The newly reconciled couple ambled away, the smiles on their faces akin to the roaring sunlight beyond them.

Nearby, a sakura bud uncurled its petals and bloomed.

_When I'm with you,  
eternity is a step away,  
my love continues to grow,  
with each passing day._

_This treasure of love,  
I cherish within my soul,  
how much I love you...  
you'll never really know._

_You bring a joy to my heart,  
I've never felt before,  
with each touch of your hand,  
I love you more and more._

_Whenever we say goodbye,  
whenever we part,  
know I hold you dearly,  
deep inside my heart._

_So these seven words,  
I pray you hold true,  
"Forever And Always,  
I Will Love You."_


End file.
